By Joey Roulette
WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – NASA officials on Friday said the agency was targeting March 6 for the launch of four astronauts around the moon and back as part of its Artemis II mission after overcoming rocket-fueling snags in a second key launch rehearsal this week, but cautioned that remaining prep work could warrant more time.
The U.S. space agency on Thursday night capped a nearly 50-hour rehearsal of the Artemis II launch countdown, fueling the rocket with some 730,000 gallons of propellant without running into the pesky hydrogen leaks that hobbled an initial rehearsal last month, officials said during a news conference.
Artemis program managers were elated that the Wet Dress Rehearsal, a comprehensive simulation of the Space Launch System’s launch-day countdown, went smoothly, but said remaining work ahead could still push the launch date further into NASA’s March launch window.
“I felt like last night was a big step in us earning our right to fly. So, felt really good, very proud of the team,” said NASA launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.
Remaining work includes testing the rocket’s flight termination system and conducting a sweeping Flight Readiness Review, a day-long meeting of agency management during which they effectively double-check all rocket hardware and mission procedures before liftoff.
(Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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